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In front of you is a hard hitting, sobering message every person needs to read.  Somebody shared it with me back in 1974 and now I’m sharing it with you. Why, you may ask?  Because the message is life-changing! And because somebody cares about YOU. When one person cares about another, they tend to share important information – weather it’s ‘good news’ or ‘bad news.’ In this case, it’s good news: someone cares about YOU and your needs, which includes the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

As therapists, we at Homestead Hope Counseling focus on the mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the whole person. This message will focus on our spiritual need, a need that is often overlooked, but heavily influences all other areas of life. When our spiritual self is not aligned with biblical truth, it will adversely affect our overall well-being. Man’s spiritual need for God is our greatest need of all. God desires to meet that need in your life, along with every other need.

We start by quoting the apostle Paul: "My God SHALL supply ALL YOUR needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus," (Phil. 4:19 NAS). This promise of God is directed primarily to those who love Jesus, to those who love His Word.  A problem arises however, that may hinder YOU yourself from receiving God’s blessing. That problem is SIN.  God cannot "supply all your needs" while you live your life contrary to His holy character.  The entire human race has the same problem.  God relates to us through His Word these thoughts about mankind and our sin problem: "There is NONE righteous, not even one.  There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; ALL have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one.  Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of vipers is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of PEACE they have not known." (Rom. 3:10-17 NAS).  It is easy to see that "ALL have SINNED and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23 NAS), i.e. the ‘glory of God’ refers to His standard for righteousness. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes (qualities), His eternal power and divine nature (character), have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made (created), so that they are without excuse.  For even though they knew (of) God, they did not honor (glorify) Him as God or give thanks…their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools“ (Rom. 1:20-22 nas).  The fact is, God is God, holy and righteous.  Man is man, sinful and condemned, without excuse.  Without the saving grace of Jesus Christ, YOU and I will be judged as unholy and unworthy to be in the presence of Almighty God.  When speaking of a sinful race, the Bible says it is appointed unto every man to die, and after that, the judgment, "for the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23).  When a person receives ‘wages’ he receives a just and deserved reimbursement for that which he has earned.  Spiritual death (eternal separation from God and eternity in the Lake of Fire) is earned.  By God’s standards, YOU deserve it! We all deserve it.

                     But there's HOPE!  HOPE in JESUS!  The KING of kings!  The LIGHT of the world!  "And HIS name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father,  The Prince of PEACE" (Isa.,9:6 KJV).  But why hope in Jesus?!? Because "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord . . And It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord SHALL be SAVED . . . And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we (YOU) must be saved . . . (Rom. 6:23 KJV, Acts 2:21 KJV & Acts 4:12 NAS).  What does it mean to be saved?

            It means to be delivered or liberated from man’s basic problem – sin – the desire to live void of God’s presence in our lives.  Salvation is the TOTAL work of GOD that brings man from a state of sin and shame to total PEACE with God through Jesus Christ.  Man is sinful.  God is righteous.  God LOVES YOU but He hates the sin in your life.  In God’s sense of justice, it is required that sin and the sinner be punished. Yet, in His mercy He provides YOU a way to escape sin, and the judgment of sin.  In escaping sin through Jesus Christ, God reveals to you the truths about Himself, about yourself, and about Heaven and Hell and sin.  One truth is that God sent His Son Jesus into the world to suffer the punishment of sin so YOU wouldn't have to.  Jesus Himself said "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; NO ONE comes to the Father, but by Me" (Jn. 14:1 & 14:6 nas).  Jesus left His rightful place in Heaven to receive God’s judgment for YOUR sin in YOUR place, thereby delivering YOU from sin and condemnation.  You see, "God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.  He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only Begotten Son of God” -- Jesus Christ (Jn 3:17-48 KJV). To ‘believe in Jesus’ is to trust him for your salvation since we cannot save ourselves. Jesus assumed the punishment of YOUR sin and guilt on cross so YOU wouldn’t have to pay the penalty yourself.  He paid the ultimate price on YOUR behalf.  During His life, He was sinless.  By dying on the cross for our sin and rising from the grave in power and great glory He conquered both sin and death.  Yet, His Holy Spirit remains with the believer to help and guide us in righteousness as we strive to be like Jesus -- holy and special in Gods' sight.

To believe in Jesus is to trust Him, to rely on Him for ALL your needs, to obey Him. Confide in Him about your own sin problem. You must recognize your own sin and selfishness before God.  Agree with God concerning your sinful ways. When you openly admit to God that you're a sinner, He WILL FORGIVE YOU and hold that sin against you no more. Instead of God seeing you as a sinner, He will see Jesus in you instead. Like Jesus Christ however, you must turn from sin in repentance.  Choose to live as Jesus lived. Live your life as God guides us in the Bible. Alone, that is impossible!  But with God all things are possible. In God’s strength, in His Spirit, you will be able to love Him, and serve Him, and obey Him. Talk to Him now.  Ask Him to open your spiritual eyes and show you the truth about Jesus, the Son of God.  Ask Jesus to give you the Faith to believe in Him, to trust in Him.  Remember "Without Faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He IS, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him! (Heb. 11:6 KJV).  Seek God earnestly.  He will listen. He will pick you up out of your sin and claim YOU as His own. God Loves YOU. He died and rose from the dead -- just for YOU!  Admit to God you're a sinner. Reject sin and cling to Jesus.  He will make you a new person. Ask Him to come to you; “Whoever believes (trusts) in Him will not be disappointed" (Rom. 10:11 nas). Tell someone of your decision to follow Jesus.

People may ask why I put such an article in a post. The answer is simple. In the counseling office we help countless folks walk through some of life’s most challenging situations: death of loved ones – parents, children, siblings, even pets occasionally; chronic illness, sudden job loss, infidelity, pornography addiction, divorce, depression – the list is endless. Many presenting issues arise through no fault of the client; the client gets hit by a horrific curve ball that sends them for a loop! Other clients however, present with issues that may have been avoided by making different life choices. When we choose to align our heart and mind with God’s truth and eternal character, life tends to be less chaotic, more manageable. Life devoted to following and obeying Christ will be challenging but fulfilling. It will be directed by God who is eternally invested in us. God has our back; always. But when we choose to ignore God and follow our own selfish desires, life will get severely off track and royally messed up. When it does, people often search for worldly antidotes – which, at best, will be temporary and at worse, self-destructive. God is not in that. Nor will the antidotes satisfy your deepest needs.

Here’s the point. When we choose to commit our lives to Jesus Christ by confessing our sin, asking for forgiveness, repenting of our sin, and turning our lives over to Jesus, confessing Him to others – we will have God himself in charge of our life and not ourselves. When a person chooses Christ, they will begin to realize when, where, and how they have sabotaged themselves by their own sinful choices. They will also be able to identify and acknowledge how the behaviors of others may have contributed to their plight and seek healing through the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s where Christ centered counseling comes in. We are here to help you through that long, arduous, but very worthwhile process. Our mission is to lead willing individuals, couples and families toward the healing that only Jesus Christ can provide. We are simply the tool, certainly not the answer. Our therapists are knowledgeable people, but we have no magic, no silver bullet. But we do know how to help.

Whether you are dealing with an unanticipated curve ball or self-inflicted outcomes, God can – and will, meet your needs. He is seeking you out, calling you to Himself. The next move is yours. You can accept His offer or reject it. It’s up to you. Choose carefully.

If we can help, please call 817.812.3021.

We provide help today so you can have hope in tomorrow.

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